The Thundershower

The Thundershower (study for painting) by H. Lyman Saÿen ca. 1917-1918 Tempera, pencil, and printed paper on paperboard    12" x 16" Simple Level / 200 waterjet cut pieces  Moderate Level / 266 waterjet cut pieces Difficult Level / 491 waterjet cut pieces   Waterproof PVC Made in the USA In the early 1900s, Saÿen was an engineer and inventor in Philadelphia known for his work on the first X-ray machine. After studying painting in the U.S., he went on to learn from Matisse in Paris and joined Gertrude Stein’s circle which forever changed his way of thinking. His curiosity can be seen in this collage-like study for one of his final paintings The Thundershower. In this work, two figures move fluidly like the frames of a filmstrip with a European Cubist-like approach contrasted by bold patterns influenced by the pottery and textile designs of the Indigenous communities in Pennsylvania. He died in his early 40s at the brink of the Machine Age and before the impact of his work could really